A Guide to Choosing the Best Home Based Business for You!

By Mark Williams


- Mark Williams ©

What if I told you the best home based business for you was right around the corner just waiting. You would most likely say "Yeah Right" and then pull down the imaginary wall of skepticism in front of you. That is O.K.; it's perfectly natural and understandable. It is my intention to help you find that perfect work at home opportunity that fits your personality and lifestyle.

Within the context of this article I am going to give you an easy to follow guide, or set of things to look for, to find the best home based business for you and your lifestyle.

There are several factors to look for when trying to decide on a home based business. They range from investment costs to time constraints and other factors in between. I am going to give you the basics of what to look for in deciding on a home business.

RESEARCH

The most important thing to do is research. Researching the company extensively is vital in choosing a business opportunity. Find out how long they have been in business. I like to use the 5 year rule - it is a good measuring stick to see if a company is for real or just a fleeting fad.

Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if the company has any negative comments or complaints. If it is an internet based company read the forums and posts to see what people are saying about them.

You need to be careful with forums and posts because some people in them have ulterior motives. Usually, anyone with common sense can read through those fairly easily. Always remember to keep an open mind when reading posts and forums.

If it is a company that sells products and services, then learn more about their products and see how they compare to leaders in that industry. You want to make sure that you are going to promote quality and reputable products and services. The last thing you want to do is jump in with a company and realize that their products are a joke and that selling them is going to be almost impossible.

ASK QUESTIONS

Now that you have done your homework and know all about the company it is time to start asking questions. These questions should be answered before you invest:

1. What is their compensation plan and how does it compare to the industry average? Find out when they send checks and how often if you are working on commission. I have been caught before investing money advertising a product only to find out that I was not going to receive a check for my sales for 90 days.

2. Ask them about their support program. What tools are they going to provide you with to help you become successful? All quality home based businesses, including MLM, know that the more successful you are, the more profitable they become.

3. Ask them if they are going to provide you with proven advertisements and marketing methods. You must be able to promote the business or it will fail miserably!!

4. Ask them if they handle all customer support and shipping. If they do, that it is a feather in their cap. That means that you do not have to worry about dealing with customer complaints and shipping troubles.

Do not be afraid to call the company and ask them these questions. A legitimate company will not be hesitant to answer them. Calling them establishes that they are a real entity with real people working the business.

TALK TO OTHER DISTRIBUTORS

See if you can get into contact with other distributors for the company and ask them about their experiences with the company.

1. Do they pay on time?

2. Find out if they really provide the kind of support they advertise.

3. Inquire about the number of refunds and charge-backs that they get each month. Additionally, find out how many of their customers are repeat customers that order monthly.

The distributors are more likely to give you real world answers to these types of questions. If they are willing, the distributors can give you a really good feel for how good the company is to work with.

At this point you need to take all of the information you have gathered and review it. A quality home based business meets the following requirements:

1. They have a higher than industry average compensation plan.
2. They have a minimal number of bad business complaints.
3. They pay on time.
4. The company offers excellent support to their distributors.
5. The company offers a full-time income opportunity.
6. They sell quality products or services.
7. They must have quality customer service.

If all of these questions have been answered in a positive way and you have an interest in the business, then the opportunity is legitimate.

Make sure that you have an interest in the business that you are looking into. In order to be successful, you must, at the very least, be interested in it. If the desire is not there, it doesn't matter how good the company is - you will fail!

I hope you can take these tips and use them as a guide to finding the best home based business for you. Working at home has several benefits and few negative aspects, especially if you are a stay at home parent. So, I encourage you to use these guidelines and go out and get the financial freedom that you are looking for!